Robert Urich
Robert Michael Urich (December 19, 1946 - April 16, 2002) was an American film, television and stage actor, who played Dan Tanna, the protagonist of Vega$ from 1978 to 1981. Urich was born on December 19, 1946 in Toronto, Ohio, to John Paul and Cecilia Monica Urich, of Rusyn and Slovak descent, and raised Byzantine Catholic and Roman Catholic. Urich attended Florida State University on a football scholarship, as a member of Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity. He graduated in 1968 with a bachelor's degree in Radio and Television Communications. In 1968, he also married actress Barbara Rucker. After working for some time in Ohio, Urich went on to Michigan State University, earning a master's in Broadcast Research and Management, before going to work as a salesman for WGN-TV in Chicago and a weatherman. In 1972, Urich appeared in a production of "The Rainmaker" play with Burt Reynolds. From thereon, after Reynolds encouraged him to move to Los Angeles, Urich decided to pursue acting full-time. In the same year, Urich made his television debut on "The F.B.I." episode "The Runner". Next year, he won a leading role in "Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice", which was cancelled after 7 episodes. The same year, he made his movie debut in "Magnum Force", the sequel to "Dirty Harry" as vigilante motorcycle cop Mike Grimes. The movie kickstarted his acting career. In 1974, Urich and Rucker divorced, and he married actress Heather Menzies in 1975. They adopted three children, Ryan, Emily and Allison. In 1975, Urich was cast in S.W.A.T., a follow-up season replacement for ABC Monday Night Movie, after Burt Reynolds convinced the show's executive producer Aaron Spelling to allow him to read for the part. Urich impressed Spelling, who cast him in the role of Officer Jim Street. The series garnered high rating and a second, full season, went into production. However, as violence on television was becoming a subject of controversy at the time, the series was cancelled after the season. Spelling described Urich as "one of the sweetest men I've ever met, no matter what you put him in, the audience loved him." In 1977, Urich starred in Soap and Tabitha, before getting cast in another Aaron Spelling production - Vega$. When he auditioned for the role of Dan Tanna, producers thought he looked way too young for the part. All the other actors up for the part looked and acted like men, but Robert Urich looked and behaved like a young boy. Still everyone agreed that he was the perfect Dan Tanna, even though he still seemed like a little boy. For his role of Dan Tanna, he had gained so much muscle, his weight boosted from a skinny, 180 pounds to a strong, ripped 220 pounds. He impressed audiences with his muscular, but innocent boyish charms. The series was a hit for ABC and Urich was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards for his work. However, by Season 3, he had grown a bit tired of the role and also complained about the declining quality of the script writing. As the ratings also fell, the show was cancelled in June 1981. From thereon, Urich signed with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, deciding to focus on his film career, first starring in "Endangered Species" in 1982. In 1985, Urich returned to television acting, starring as the title character in Spenser: For Hire for three seasons. It was another hit for him, and he would reprise the role in three reunion TV movies from 1993 to 1995. In the 1990s, Urich mainly appeared in television movies many short-lived television series. In 1996, he starred in TNT western series The Lazarus Man. It earned strong ratings, enough for renewal for second season, but in July 1996, Urich was diagnosed with synovial sarcoma cancer and the show was cancelled. Urich then also became an advocate for finding a cure to cancer, founding with his wife Heather the Urich Fund for the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center to raise funds for cancer research. In 1998, Urich was declared cancer free and returned to acting, starring on "Love Boat: The Next Wave" for two season. The same year, he was named the national spokesperson for American Cancer Society. In November 2001, Urich revealed in an interview that his doctors had discovered lumps in his body, but "a wonder drug had cleared them up". However, in April 2002, Urich was hospitalized at Los Robles Hospital & Medical Center in Thousand Oaks, California for breathing problems. He died there on April 16, 2002, at the age of 55, was cremated and his ashes were buried on the grounds of his family's vacation home in Prince Edward County in Ontario, Canada. Urich's wife Heather also survived ovarian cancer. She continued to work for the UM Cancer Center, and died from brain cancer on December 24, 2017. For Urich's contributions to television industry, he was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7083 Hollywood Boulevard. An interchange in his native Toronto, Ohio, was named Robert Urich Interchange in his honor.